EXCLUSIVE
Dentist Maged Farag, his wife Neven and their three children appear the picture of a quintessential wealthy, thriving family from Sydney’s lush southern suburbs.
They own a manicured $4million waterfront mansion, two luxury vehicles, and – until recently – ran a successful dental clinic which had operated in nearby Rockdale for more than six years.
But the family are embroiled in a legal battle as the 60-year-old dad-of-three stands accused of breaching his position of trust by drugging a woman and sexually assaulting her at their dental clinic.
Police will allege the woman had applied for a role at the business when Farag asked her to come in for after-hours training shifts.
But once there, he allegedly convinced her to get naked for a ‘skin check’, plying her with laughing gas, then rubbing up her body and sucking her nipple.
After the woman reported the alleged incident to police, detectives allegedly found naked images of her on his phone – as well as intimate pictures of several other women, which are now the subject of further investigation.
But despite the accusations against her husband, Ms Farag – who did reception and admin work for their family business – is loyally standing by him.
Dentist Maged Fouad Farag and his wife Neven (pictured together) ran a successful family clinic in Rockdale
Together, the couple have carved out a wealthy life for themselves in Sydney’s south, where they own the above $4million waterfront property
Their family-run business has been shut down in the wake of the allegations
In his bid for bail last month, she volunteered to supervise the very limited activities he is permitted under strict ‘home detention’ while his matter remains before court.
During the NSW Supreme Court hearing, prosecutors had opposed bail.
‘If the [fresh] facts are accepted, they suggest the applicant pressured young women, or at the very least, took advantage of a young woman within the ambit of his professional life,’ their written submissions read.
However, his application was ultimately successful and the couple found a $1million surety to secure his release – a sum which will be forfeited if Farag, an Australian-Egyptian dual national, fails to turn up to court.
On Thursday, the couple were spotted leaving their palatial home to attend Miranda Police Station as part of Farag’s strict bail conditions – which require him to report to officers seven days a week.
Under the terms, he is also only allowed to leave the house to report to police, meet with his lawyers, attend court, or obtain medical treatment – all of which, by order of the court, must be done in the company of his wife.
During an outing earlier this week, the couple went to great lengths to shield him from media and the public eye as they headed out to an appointment in their Mercedes.
As Ms Farag drove, her husband – rather than sitting in the front passenger’s seat – shrunk down in the back, sunglasses on his face and clothes hung up on the inside of the vehicle to conceal the rear windows.
In another show of support, Ms Farag has maintained a united front on social media.
Her Facebook profile remains a picture of her standing next to her husband, wrapped in his embrace, as he loving holds her under his right arm.
Farag was arrested on September 19 after a 21-year-old woman made a complaint to police that she was allegedly sexually assaulted at his Rockdale clinic.
The couple stepped out in their Mercedes earlier this week to comply with his bail conditions
Farag must abide by strict conditions, including reporting to police at Miranda Police Station once every day
Police will allege her ordeal began when she applied for a part-time job at the practice and was told two positions – a dental assistant/receptionist, and a medical staffer role – were available as part of a new cosmetic venture Farag planned to run.
According to the police allegations tendered in court last month, the woman went to the clinic three times after hours to meet Farag to undergo training sessions, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The woman told police that Farag allegedly made her sign a non-disclosure agreement during the first session before asking her to remove all of her clothes so he could ‘inspect her skin’.
He then allegedly took photos of her and moved her legs apart during the examination.
Police will allege during their third session he again asked her to get naked for more photographs before drugging her with nitrous oxide.
Farag then allegedly proceeded to touch her breasts, move his fingers around her vagina and inner thighs, then laid next to her on the bed and began sucking her right nipple, according to the court documents.
Police will allege the woman ‘panicked’ and jumped away, causing Farag to fall on the floor – at which point she noticed he had taken off his shirt too.
Farag allegedly repeatedly apologised and left the room, with the woman then putting her clothes on and leaving the clinic.
Ms Farag is pictured pottering about the couple’s multi-million dollar home earlier this week
She reported the alleged incident to police the following day.
He also allegedly told her during one of the sessions that he would give her payments and free dental work if she wrote good Google reviews about his business, according to the court documents.
The family’s Rockdale dentist clinic is now listed online as permanently closed, with Farag barred from practising dentistry – operating any other business service – as part of his bail conditions.
He is also banned from being involved in hiring, training or interviewing staff.
The Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has also formally suspended Farag’s medical registration.
Since Farag’s arrest, the Bay Street business has shut down its website, which was once full of glowing reviews.
On the page, the Farags wrote that they were ‘most passionate’ about their patients’ wellbeing and ‘pay special attention to your needs with the desire to create the best fitted solution for you’.
‘Establishing a trusting relationship with you is important to us,’ their ‘About Us’ page read.
‘We are committed to exceeding your expectations by providing unparalleled service, paying attention to detail and demonstrating a passion for excellence.’
Farag has been charged with cause to take intoxicating substance to commit indictable offence and aggravated sexual touching.
He is next due to appear before Sydney Downing Centre Local Court on December 17.
